Monday, 16 July 2018

LEJOG Days 1 - 4 - Lands End to Newquay

Having spent the previous night in the pub watching England getting knocked out of the World Cup with two German tourists, I woke early on the campsite in Sennen and headed for Lands End. I took my obligatory selfie by the signpost and set off along the coast for Sennen Cove. It was a beautiful sunny morning as I arrived at the stunning beaches but it was too early for breakfast as the beach cafes were only just opening, so I carried on and eventually turned inland to the village of St.Just where I found a cafe and had breakfast sitting at the side of the road. Returning to the coast path I followed it for many miles as it rose and fell, like a white knuckle ride but without the assistance of a train and with plenty of rocks and boulders thrown on the track for good measure. The plan was to follow this as far as Carbis Bay before heading inland and picking up the Lands End Trail. I reached the village of Zennor in the late afternoon and stopped briefly at the pub for a beer but soon pushed on as I had to find somewhere to pitch the tent because of a lack of campsites in the area. The coastal path continued to be very narrow and steep and by seven o'clock I was becoming a little concerned that I may not find anywhere to camp when I suddenly came across a small patch of reasonably flat grass by the side of the path. I immediately pulled the tent from the rucksack and made camp and enjoyed one of the best views I have ever had while wild camping. After eating, I drifted off to sleep to the soothing sound of the waves crashing on the rocks.

Over the next three days, I drifted between the coast path and the Lands End Trail but it soon became clear that this 'trail' was going to be time consuming and frustrating as the paths either disappeared and left you standing in a field with no obvious way out or were ridiculously overgrown. After one particular path, where I spent too much time trying to force my way through using my trekking poles, I gave up on the trail and reverted to the coast path. I have also been using country lanes as short cuts where the coast path takes lengthy detours around headlands. I am currently having a rest day in Newquay where I am staying in a hotel. I have covered 125 kilometres in the first four days, which I think would have been more had I not wasted time on the Lands End Trail.